Fosso di Sant'Egidio

Fosso di Sant'Egidio is a fossil tributary of Salto del Cieco canyon.
Its name comes from the acient Sant'Egidio hermitage, perched on a spur of rock overlooking the Salto del Cieco. The very steep sides of canyon,
impassable at first sight, were at one time frequented by the monks of the hermitage and the shepherds of Castellonalto (village perched on the edge
of the opposite wall of the canyon) who went at the grazing grounds on the opposite side of canyon.
Of the ancient paths still remain visible traces through the forest of oak and hornbeam. They lead to unexpected, hidden daring passages on ledges or
walls (authentic secret passages) that allow you to completely immerse yourself in the beautiful and vertical mediterranean environment
of the Salto del Cieco.
To this magnificent environment, the Fosso di Sant'Egidio adds the excitement and spectacle of a beautiful panoramic dryfall, now fossil but
preserving the forms of erosion, indelible evidence of another geological time.

I remember ...

There are a lot of fossil canyons in Valnerina, definitively abandoned by water. No more water means no more erosion and transport of debris,
and so the latter accumulate in the bottom of canyons, reducing the height of the falls and in some cases deleting them completely.
Over the centuries the bottom of a canyon becomes one long, steep slope of debris covered with foliage, uninteresting for canyoning.

This has largely happened to Fosso di Sant'Egidio. Luckily the big fall remained!